Mary Poppins (1964)
Played by the iconic Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins is Disney’s unsung activist queen; not only does she liberate a fox from the terrors of a fox hunt, she single-handedly uses her nifty click’n’clean method to free Mrs Banks from the shackles of her housewifely duties so that she can campaign for women’s suffrage instead. Lord only knows what lies within the depths of that bottomless handbag of hers, but I bet she’s got a few decent ideas tucked away in there which would help to sort out the current political mess. Based on Nanny Poppins alone, this one has to be up there; and Dick Van Dyke’s eternally cheerful chimney sweep Burt well and truly tips it over into greatness. EH
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
This incredible film looks absolutely bonkers now, but back when I was a kid it all made total sense. Of course Angela Lansbury’s Miss Eglantine Price should be flying around on a broomstick wearing a M1 helmet and wielding a sword – how else would a new witch protect Britain from the Nazis? A story about three London kids who are evacuated during the Blitz, it all kicks off when Price’s witchcraft school closes down. The motley crew set off to find the school’s Professor Emelius Browne (David Tomlinson) using a magic bed – a truly elegant travel solution. When they find him the gang then go looking for a spell, which leads to a series of adventures. There’s a dance contest, fights with German soldiers, and a fabulous underwater excursion which set us all up to be wildly disappointed the first time we got the Eurostar. EJG
The Lion King (1994)
From good old-fashioned Shakespearean usurping to a set of lighters-in-the-air tunes by Tim Rice and Elton John, The Lion King has every single vital component needed for a stone-cold Disney classic – there’s betrayal, heartache, and even a fart-joke in the middle of Hakuna Matata. Truly, something for everyone. From the moment our Simba gets held aloft on that big grey rock as a poor abandoned young cub, shortly after his beloved dad Mufasa has been murdered, I was rooting for him and his pals Timone and Pumbaa all the way, hoping that they could finally wreak revenge on scheming uncle Scar, one of Disney’s greatest camp villains, and his pack of cackling hyenas. When victory finally comes, soundtracked by an epic Circle of Life, who can help but let out an involuntary roar of joy? EH
Hercules (1997)
Who knew that tapping into the rich seam of Greek mythology and fusing it with some good ol’ American comedy would create such joy? Infinitely meme-able, the film tells the story of Hercules, a god stripped of his immortality, who must complete twelve quests to regain it. Does it play fast and loose with the myths? Absolutely (classicists need not watch). But its secret weapon is the supremely camp Hades, with flaming hair and quips for days – “I’m surrounded by idiots,” he groans, as his latest scheme goes disastrously awry. Add in some great slapstick comedy and gospel-inspired tunes and what you have is a film that will stick in your head for hours afterward. Zero to hero – just like that. VJ
The Parent Trap (1998)
It took years before I managed to shrug off The Parent Trap’s many stereotypes – in fact, I’m still not sure I have. Are Californian vineyard owners not millionaires who look like Dennis Quaid? Do their smiles not catch the sun on a balmy afternoons next to the pool? And do London wedding dress designers not live in townhouses in Kensington, have butler best friends, and wear cocktail dresses at all hours? It’s hard to know. In the film that catapulted her to fame, Lindsay Lohan plays twins Hallie and Annie who are split up by their parents as babies after a messy divorce – one is taken to America, the other to England. In an incredibly cruel move, the film doesn’t dwell on for even a second, the parents Nick (Quaid) and Liz (Natasha Richardson) raised their girls as only children. Things go haywire when the girls meet at a posh summer camp and decide to swap identities. EJG
A Bug’s Life (1998)
A Bug’s Life is the forgotten child of Disney pictures. Overshadowed by other Disney films the same year – Mulan and The Parent Trap – not to mention another bug-related epic Antz, it was never going to have an easy ride, and you won’t hear it mentioned on many people’s favourites lists. That’s a shame, because it is a strong film that stands apart. While a lot of other Disney flms comprise basically a road trip of sorts, A Bug’s Life is more of a Western-cum-war film, with political undertones about colonialism that will escape but definitely influence younger viewers (I speak from experience). Like all my favourite Disney films, it has an enemy that is genuinely pretty spooky, and it makes the plight of the ant colony even more thrilling. While the animation may struggle in today’s technological era, the voice acting more than makes up for it. DC
Monsters Inc. (2001)
Another one of Pixar’s tales with every aspect so lovingly crafted that the incidental details and the supporting characters threaten to steal the movie from under the hairy claws of its leads. Boo, the human toddler (voiced by story artist Rob Gibbs’s own gabbling little girl, Mary) who infiltrates Monstropolis and upends the lives of scare-workers Sulley and Mike so that they stumble upon a bit of corporate skullduggery, is easily the cutest creature committed to film, including Bambi, while big fluffy Sulley’s luscious blue fur – a huge leap forward in computer animation at the time – is mesmerising every time he moves. Plus Roz, the cuttingly deadpan administrator for Scare Floor F, with her goldenrod forms in triplicate and her unimaginable secrets, is quite simply an inspiration. ND
Finding Nemo (2003)
The team behind Finding Nemo doesn’t so much tug the heartstrings as tie an anchor to them and hurl it into the abyss. This beautiful Pixar film is all about the parent-child relationship but combines that with a wonderful inventiveness and wackiness that takes the sting out of any lingering emotional blows. Dude, who could forget the current-surfing turtle Crush? Or indeed Ellen DeGeneres’ scene-stealing performance as the forgetful fish Dory (so good, in fact, that it inspired a film of its own)? Or – horrors – Darla, the fish-shaking monster so terrifying she gave me, a non-fish, nightmares? This is Disney operating at the top of its game: enjoyable as a kid, even more so as an adult. VJ
The Incredibles (2004)
I’m still not sure about the overriding paean to exceptionalism, but the sheer joyful imagination involved in creating the superpowers of the Parr family is absolutely epic (particularly those attributed to JackJack, the baby, still pre-verbal and evidently the centre of some kind of perfect super-storm that is going to cause all sorts of trouble just as soon as he’s had his nap). And of course the ‘they’re just like us!’ depiction of parenting while super is heartwarming. But it’s the fact that it was the crucible in which was forged one of the most memorable characters of all time that makes it a top five film for me. Edna Mode, the tiny, withering, ferocious fashion designer and engineering genius who kits out the supers according to their mind-boggling abilities has my heart forever. Just remember daahling: no capes! ND
Up (2009)
I first watched Up on a New Year’s Day several years ago. It was both the best and worst thing I could have done. In the grips of my hangxiety – single, sad and existential – the opening montage of Carl and Ellie’s loving relationship over the decades brutalised me. Their first kiss, wedding, hopes, shattered dreams, miscarriage, domestic drudgery, failing health and Ellie’s death. “Their love is so pure,” I thought, as I wept last night’s glitter off my face. The rest of the movie is lovely – Carl, now 78 and widowed, decides to realise a lifelong dream of travelling to South America (by tying helium balloons to his house, how else?) and ends up lumbered with an eager little boy who’s stowed away – but it’s the first four minutes I still watch over and over again. SR
Tangled (2010)
The first time I watched this film, weirdly, was all in German – but even so, I was spellbound enough to go home and rewatch it in English the minute I could buy a cinema ticket. Tangled (a retelling of the Rapunzel story) is arguably the first ‘nu-Disney’ princess film: it has a headstrong heroine who calls the shots, a female-centric plotline and while the romance is very sweet, it’s Rapunzel’s journey to discover who she is that takes precedence here. The visuals are gorgeous, the songs are (if not top-quality) enjoyable enough and Flynn Rider continues the grand tradition of many people’s first crushes being a cartoon. Combined with the traditional Disney flourishes – semi-sentient animals, a wicked stepmother – and what you have is an underrated bit of cinema gold. VJ
Toy Story 3 (2010)
I don’t think I’ve watched a film that felt more like the end of an era than Toy Story 3. My soul still can’t bear the ending sequences of this Tom Hanks-led Disney blockbuster. I could feel my childhood slip out of my hands as a then 17-year-old Andy prepared to give his beloved toys away, after watching him grow up throughout the franchise. I can only imagine how my parents felt watching me packing up my room as I prepared to flee the nest for university. My tear-soaked 13-year-old self left the ODEON cinema and walked into the real world, primed but saddened by the harsh reality of actually having to grow up. JK